Beneath the Surface
by Warden of Tol Eressea
Summary: Just what did the Marauders get up to during full moons? Or how Lily discovered James and Co. were Animagi. Panning their fifth to seventh years. James/Lily. One-shot.


**A/N:** **Leave a review and let me know how it is** **.**

 **Beneath the Surface**

They were there again.

By now, she really shouldn't feel as surprised as she did as she peered over the edge of her Arithmancy book at the two boys huddled in between two of the numerous bookshelves that dotted the Hogwarts library. James Potter and Sirius Black weren't the first people that came to mind when one thought of libraries and books, which was ironic as they were probably two of the most brilliant students in the castle, much as she was loath to admit it.

It was something that she had begun to notice the beginning of her fourth year. The first time she had seen them, she had felt an instant surge of irritation and annoyance, feelings that were never far off whenever James Potter was involved. The library was the one place she could find peace and quiet, a place she could focus or unwind. A place where she could get away from those pesky Marauders, away from that arrogant _prat_ James Potter, who for sure saw himself as God's gift to this world.

But she was surprised when Potter didn't even seem to notice her, but rather had spent the next couple hours pouring over books and whispering rather seriously with Black about whatever it was that they were doing. It was a rather eye-opening experience she had to admit, not the least of which when she realized she had barely gotten any of her own work done. She had been angry with herself for getting distracted, and by Potter of all people.

 _They were probably just researching their next big prank_ , she had thought sourly as she shoved the incident to the back of her mind. Yet, to her surprise, this seemed to happen quite frequently over the rest of the year and the next. Potter and Black, sometimes accompanied by Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, continued their trips to the library. They didn't seem to have any particular routine or schedule, just showing up at random times, whenever the whim came to them she supposed. More surprisingly yet, they never really stirred up any trouble either, NOT that they weren't below wreaking havoc in the library (she should know), but they never did anything during these 'study sessions' for lack of a better term.

And it was just study sessions wasn't it? At first, she had just thought they were just planning to cause more trouble, but they really did seem to be studying. Though why it was always in the Transfiguration section of the library she never really understood. James Potter was, arguably, a Transfiguration prodigy. Not that she wanted to add to his inflated ego but in this case, it was the truth. Once, when Potter and Black had left, she had gone over to see just what it was they were really doing but had found nothing suspicious. Either they were careful to cover their tracks or just really had been studying advanced Transfiguration techniques.

Perhaps what was truly mystifying (not that she minded in the slightest) was that Potter never seemed to bother her during these sessions. They had acknowledged her there of course, but other than a friendly nod or greeting, he had not even tried to talk to her. It was just too bad this behavior didn't seem to extend to all the other times of the day, she thought rather ruefully.

So really, she shouldn't be that surprised anymore whenever they turned up but she was nonetheless. The Marauders and the library just did not go together. She turned back to her Arithmancy book and started reading again. This was her O.W.L. year and she refused to let the Marauders distract her any further.

* * *

"Hey Prongs! Prongs!"

A few people turned and stared as Sirius Black ran down the aisles of the four long tables of the Great Hall. Lily raised her eyes from her porridge and watched warily as Black came to a stop by where Potter was sitting with the rest of their friends a few seats down from her. She saw Black whisper something in Potter's ear. Potter snapped his head back in surprise and stared at his friend before a grin slowly formed on his face. He gestured Remus and Peter in and soon all four of them were whispering excitedly with each other.

"What do you think they're up to now?"

Lily gave a small start of surprise as she turned and saw her friend Mary MacDonald slide into the seat next to her, gesturing towards the Marauders.

Lily merely gave a shrug and turned back to her porridge. "Absolutely no idea. Although knowing them," she added irritably, "probably something nasty."

Mary gave her an amused smile before giving a huge yawn and reaching out to grab a piece of toast. Lily snuck another glance at the huddled foursome. Black was standing once more and tugging on Potter's arms excitedly, reminding Lily, rather amusingly, of a small boy tugging on the arms of his parent.

"…Hang on Padfoot, give me a second." Lily caught the end of what Potter was saying as he grabbed another piece of toast and allowed himself to be dragged away, with Remus and Peter following behind.

A few people stared at their retreating forms curiously before going back to their breakfasts when it was clear they weren't in for another show. The Marauders had a way of making things…lively.

 _Prongs_ and _Padfoot_. Lily had always wondered about the nicknames the Marauders had for each other. They never seemed to use it much when around other people, but it did slip out on occasion as the incident a few moments ago would attest to. They just started calling each other those names seemingly out of nowhere and for the life of her, Lily couldn't figure out why. The nicknames didn't particularly seem to be based off their real names or anything about their person. In fact, they all had an animalistic feel to them, except Moony, which was what the Marauders called Remus. She had shrugged it off as another one of the Marauders' eccentricities, but couldn't help but wonder if there was some deeper meaning to them.

* * *

It wasn't until a week after the breakfast incident when Lily realized the Marauders no longer came for their 'study sessions' in the library anymore. She was in the Transfiguration section herself working on a particularly nasty essay for McGonagall when the realization hit her. The library had seemed strangely silent for a couple weeks now and it was just now that she found the reason why. The Marauders were never rowdy in the physical sense but they had a way of letting their presence known, however unintentionally.

Sure, she would see some of them in occasionally (and by that she meant mostly Remus), but not in the same fashion she had become accustomed to the past year, the four of them elbow deep in Transfiguration books.

It wasn't until she went to Potions the day after did she get an inkling as to why.

"The Marauders aren't here," Severus whispered to her the moment she had sat down next to him. It was one of their only classes together and they didn't get a chance to talk often, her being a Gryffindor and he Slytherin. Lily glanced around the room at her classmates settled in.

"That would explain why it's been so quiet today," she whispered back. Potter and Black would usually be disrupting the class or causing mischief.

Severus snorted, "It is the full moon after all, perhaps Lupin managed to off them all. Rumor is he's in the hospital wing again." Lily merely rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Slughorn, who was preparing to begin the lesson. She didn't want to listen to another round of theories of why Remus was secretly a werewolf. Granted, the boy did seem to get sick fairly frequently and often seemed scratched up but he was nice enough. Remus was probably the only one of the Marauders she could actually stand. Not that he didn't have a troublemaking streak himself, but he had always been nice to her and they worked together pretty well as the prefects of their year.

And speaking of which, Remus _did_ tell her that he had been feeling unwell a few days earlier after one of their prefect meetings, so she wasn't surprised that he would be in the hospital wing.

Later that day, Lily decided to go check on Remus to make sure he was okay. She couldn't stand the Marauders but Remus was someone she counted on as a friend.

She entered the hospital wing and stopped short at what she saw. Potter, Black, and Pettigrew were sitting around the bed that Remus was in, laughing uproariously at something while Remus just sat there rolling his eyes but seemed amused nonetheless. His eyes caught her figure near the doorway and smiled at her warmly, while at the same time prodding his friends as if to let them know they weren't alone anymore. Their laughter halted as all four turned towards her, mirth still present in their eyes but also a trace of wariness.

"Evans! What are you doing here? Did you come to see me?" Potter called out grinning as his hand immediately found his hair.

Lily rolled her eyes as she approached the bed, "No, I came to see Remus. Heard you were in the hospital wing and I wanted to see how you were doing. But I guess you're okay now if you're managing to put up with these three clowns."

Potter put his hands over his heart in mock hurt while Black gave his usual bark-like laughter. Remus smiled, "Thanks for checking up on me Lily. Just been feeling a bit under the weather."

There were a few more bandages around his arms from what Lily could see and upon closer inspection, she saw that the other three looked grimy and exhausted, though still clearly light-hearted, and the scratches Remus had were mirrored on the other three boys. Pettigrew seemed to be the least affected injury-wise but he seemed just as exhausted as the rest of them were.

Lily pursed her lips as she looked at the group, who seemed unable to meet her eyes and started to fidget under her intense stare. Like kids caught trying to steal candy, she couldn't help but think as a small smile slipped onto her face.

"You three should at least keep your troublemaking away from Remus when he's sick you know," she remarked. Black gave a guffaw and Potter grinned.

"Well, Moony, er- Remus here misses us when he's away and we certainly didn't want that. You see," he continued in a staged whisper, "he'll cry otherwise." A pillow promptly hit him in the side of the head and Lily couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up inside her at their antics.

She left a while after, Remus assuring her he'll be better by the next day. Talking with the Marauders had been surprisingly easy and even fun, she realized. They were still bullies and pranked the innocent for laughs, which Lily just could not stand, but they weren't really malicious (not like some of the Slytherins, she thought with a shudder). Whatever it was they got up to, she decided that she really didn't want to know, probably better off not knowing as a matter of fact. But still, as Madam Pomfrey came in to scold the boys for not resting, maybe it was something she could keep an eye on, for their own sakes if anything.

* * *

Lily gave a sigh as she slowly walked back through the torch-lit corridor that led back to the Gryffindor common room. Remus was feeling under the weather once more and she had been left on her own to do their turn of after-hour patrolling. The solitude had given her a chance to think about all the things going on around her, things that she felt powerless about: her crumbling relationship with her sister, the increasing number of attacks and disappearances in the magical world, her broken friendship with Severus.

The incident that happened at the lake the previous year still rankled as she worked to suppress a surge of anger at her ex-best friend. Deep down, she knew that Severus had chosen his path, while she had chosen hers. And while she was angry at him for this, she couldn't help but feel saddened as well. They had known each other for over five years now.

She shook her head, trying to banish thoughts of Severus from her head. Whatever happened was in the past. She didn't want to waste her thoughts anymore on them.

She was just about to give the Fat Lady the password when the portrait door suddenly swung open, nearly hitting her. Before she knew it, she was face to face with James Potter, who was clutching what looked like an old piece of parchment and looked like a deer caught in a car's headlights when he saw her.

"Ah…Evans. Good to see you on this lovely evening." Potter gave an easy grin at her as he tried to surreptitiously shove the parchment into his pocket.

Lily crossed her arms with a scowl. "It's after hours Potter. Going somewhere?"

Potter shuffled his feet and adjusted his crooked glasses on his face. "Er…I was just feeling a bit hungry before bed that's all. I won't be a minute really."

Lily merely stared at him, eyebrows raised. Something about the way Potter was acting made her think he wasn't really "just hungry". He was dressed as if he was about to go outside and there was an uncharacteristic jumpiness about him.

There was a tense silence before Potter said, "You're not by any chance buying this are you?"

A snort escaped her before she could help it at that. "Not a chance. Get back inside Potter before I take points off you or report you to McGonagall."

A flash of uneasiness crossed his eyes before disappearing. He glanced down at his watch before returning his eyes back to her.

"Look Evans…"

"Potter," she growled out, her patience wearing thin, "I'm not going to ask you again. Whatever mischief you are up to, you can do tomorrow. Or better yet, just don't do it period, although I suppose that's too much to ask."

"It's for Remus," Potter blurted out, cutting off her tirade. "It's just that he's in the hospital wing again. And we, er that is to say _I_ , wanted to go get him something to eat. He's a really big chocolate fiend, but it really helps him feel better." He was rambling now.

Something in Lily's heart softened at that. Potter seemed sincere this time, any previous nervousness gone. Remus _did_ look like he needed some comfort food when she had visited him earlier. But still, there was no need to go during the dead of night.

She opened her mouth to tell him that, while it was a touching gesture, Remus was fine and most likely asleep and he could go tomorrow, but what she found herself saying was, "Just this once, you understand Potter? For Remus. I don't want to catch you out after hours again."

Potter stared at her a bit stunned, before a wide grin appeared, lighting up his face. "Evans, you are an angel, you know that. Don't worry I won't get caught." He smiled at her warmly before gave a wave and ran down the corridor. Before he turned the corner though, Lily saw him reach into his pocket and pull that old parchment out again. _Hmmm, interesting._

Lily shook her head and, with a sigh, went into the empty common room and flopped down on one of the armchairs by the fireplace. It really had been a stressful day. She stared out to window at the full moon shining brightly in the night sky. She didn't know why she let Potter off the hook, but something between them had changed ever since that incident by the lake with Severus.

Some time after that, Potter had found her and had actually apologized. As their sixth year started, she had noticed some subtle changes in his behavior. He was still a Marauder, causing mischief and mayhem but most of the pranks they carried out were harmless. They no longer went about hexing innocent students, only those that seemed to deserve it (mostly Slytherins), not that she would admit that. She was a prefect and her opinion wasn't supposed to come into play when upholding rules. Yet, she couldn't help but think that the Slytherins most definitely deserved some of the "justice" the Marauders sent their way. What was more, Potter had stopped asking her out at every possible chance he got, which was probably what intrigued her the most. _He grew up_ , a small voice in her head whispered. Yes, James Potter most certainly has. He was no longer the arrogant, big-headed prat that strutted around the school the previous years. He still had that air of confidence around him for sure but now he carried it about almost quietly, or as quietly as Potter was able to.

Now that he no longer sought her out incessantly, she was able to interact with the humorous and charming person she found beneath the surface. They still weren't really friends but Lily found that she no longer abhorred being around him as she had previously. And _that_ was probably the main reason she found herself letting James go tonight.

She didn't doubt that James was going to see Remus, but something _was_ off with that story. Sirius and Peter were already out somewhere now that she thought about it. She snorted, _of course they were_. You don't just encounter one Marauder without the rest nearby. They really were one of the closest group of friends she knew. She loved Mary and the rest of her friends here at Hogwarts to death, but the Marauders were on a different level, closer than brothers. As much as the world was shifting around her, the Marauders were one of the constants here at Hogwarts and things just weren't right when they weren't together laughing and fooling around.

She felt her eyelids getting heavy. The warmth of the fireplace combined with the long day she just had was making her sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and thought idly that she should really see if Potter would really return before dismissing the notion. Potter could take care of himself and she wasn't going to babysit him.

And with that, she gathered her stuff and went off to bed.

* * *

Potter didn't show up to class the next morning. The other Marauders had trudged in to breakfast, even Remus, but they had looked exhausted and worried, no doubt about Potter.

Lily chewed on the bottom of her lip anxiously as she watched them, all the while cursing herself inside her head. She _knew_ she shouldn't have let Potter go last night and now he was in the hospital wing. Admittedly, she had no doubt Potter would have just snuck out anyways even if she had shooed him back, but still. She would go visit him at lunch, she vowed, and give him an earful.

Yet, all annoyance and anger melted away when she saw him lying in one of the beds of the hospital wing. His torso was heavily bandaged and, just like his friends had that morning, looked exhausted and beat-up. Even so though, he lit up when he saw her approach and she couldn't help but smile at him.

Sometime after, when there was a lull in their conversation, Potter had addressed the elephant in the room. "Evans…I'm sorry about last night. We just…we had to be with Remus." Potter said in a low voice, unable to meet her eyes, staring dejectedly at his fidgeting bandaged hands.

For sure, something was going on and Lily would bet anything it wasn't just for fun. The Marauders were like brothers. Something was going on with Remus and the rest of the Marauders were no doubt involved. She would figure it out, but in the meantime, she couldn't fault Potter for sticking with his friend.

"No need to be sorry Potter," she said lightly, "I always knew the kitchen elves would get tired of you eventually. Didn't think they'd send you to the hospital wing though."

Potter's head shot up and stared at her in what looked like wonder before another tender smile crossed his face. "You really are an angel aren't you Evans?"

And for the first time ever, Lily felt a flush of joy at something James Potter had said to her.

* * *

Lily found out Remus' secret a couple weeks after she had visited Potter. Severus had actually turned out to be right, not that she would ever let him know that, even if they were still friends.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Everything had fit. The scratch marks, the monthly absences (which, when she actually started to pay attention to them, always seemed to happen during the full moon), the nickname Moony. Merlin, _Moony_. How could she not have seen that?

She had been shocked when the knowledge had finally hit her, eventually replaced by sadness and admiration. Sadness because it had to be Remus, one of the nicest people she knew, who had to suffer this condition and admiration because of how much he endured all these years, living in fear that his secret would be found out.

Well, she vowed, she would take this secret to the grave if she had to. The teachers surely knew and there was no doubt the Marauders did as well. And that had her thinking once more. Where did the Marauders fit into all this? Potter being out after hours that night couldn't possibly be the only time. In fact, Lily was sure the Marauders wouldn't just sit back and let Remus suffer alone, but what could they be doing? Lycanthropy had no cure and it was incredibly incredibly dangerous for humans to be around a transformed werewolf.

Potter's injuries had come to mind at that. The scratches that accompanied the rest of the Marauders every so often. What were those three doing? It was the worst-kept secret in Gryffindor house that the Marauders seemed to disappear once a month but no one seemed to know just what they got up to. Now she knew what Remus got up to, but did the Marauders keep him company somehow? And if so, why was it that they hadn't been changed to werewolves as well with all those scratches?

It wasn't until a week after that that she finally found out.

She had been in the library, trying to work on her Transfiguration homework when the epiphany hit her.

 _No…no way._ She turned and stared at the bookshelves in the corner. The same bookshelves James and Sirius had spent so much time in. Is that what they were working on? Something to help Remus with? They had stopped coming though, so they either gave up or they found what they were looking for. Knowing the Marauders, Lily instantly dismissed the former option.

Shaking slightly at her revelation, she slowly stood up from her table, homework all but forgotten, and made her way over to the bookshelves. The Transfiguration section. She slowly scanned over the titles on the shelves before she finally found it. Animagi. That was what they were currently studying.

 _Advanced Transfiguration Techniques._

 _The Animal Mind._

 _On Animagi and Animism._

 _The Coutre Theories of Transformation_

She brushed the back of each book she scanned over, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. In a daze, she slunk down to the floor and sat back against the shelf. Animagi. The Marauders. Is that what they got up to? Can werewolves harm other animals?

She couldn't believe it but the pieces all fit. And suddenly everything was clear to her. The injuries, the disappearances during the full moon, the _nicknames_. Merlin, they were all animal-themed weren't they. Lily snorted, shaking her head at just how obvious and yet just how well-hidden everything had been. The Marauders had all but waved it in their faces and the school had been blindly ignorant to it all. Their own private prank. Lily couldn't help but smile at that.

What they were doing was illegal. They wouldn't face just lost House points or detention if they got caught but trouble with the law. Hell, they could get sent to Azkaban for this and Remus, oh Remus. How would he feel if he got his best friends sent to prison?

Yet, for all that, the thought of reporting them didn't even cross her mind. If anything, she felt another surge of admiration and affection for the Marauders. They really were the closest group of friends she had ever known and now she knew just how much. It was a big secret they were keeping but now at least they had someone on the outside, even if they didn't know it.

She was already covering for Remus for their prefect duties whenever he was "sick" so that was nothing new. But if there was any way she could help, then she would. Remus was her friend too.

And with that, she got up with a renewed sense of determination.

The next full moons passed by in similar fashion but for one thing.

Lily found herself making excuses whenever the Marauders were missing, either out that night or recuperating the morning after. If she decided that she and Remus just _had_ to take the patrol shift during full moon weeks then that was just her business wasn't it? Nothing at all to do with the fact that the Marauders would less likely to encounter unfriendly company sneaking out. And if it were she herself who just so happened to stumble upon them, she would conveniently forget the time. She couldn't punish them for being out after hours if she didn't even know it was after hours right?

And it was definitely worth it to see the expressions on their faces the first time she had turned the blind eye. They had stared incredulously at her, mouths hanging open in surprise. She had smirked to herself, mouth twitching in amusement, as she gave them a wink and turned to continue her patrol.

After that first time, the Marauders had warmed up to her, slowly becoming close friends, both with her and her own friends. The years of arguing between them (ok fine, between her and James) were in the past now. It was an unspoken agreement between them to never speak of their escapades once a month, but there was a definite feeling of gratitude and camaraderie.

And of course, it had nothing at all to do with the looks that James gave her for what she was doing, filled of wonder, fondness, and something else.

* * *

They finally started going out their seventh year. It was inevitable really. They had been skirting around each other for sometime now, talking, flirting, just enjoying each other's company. As Head Boy and Girl, they spent quite of a bit of time together. After years of hating James, it was amazing to Lily just how much things had changed. And who would of thought that it was Lily who finally asked James out?

How surprising it was to everyone when Lily had walked up to James with a grin and a "Hey Potter, go out with me?"

But going out with one another also meant some secrets were no longer as easy to keep as they once were. James' Invisibility Cloak, the Marauders' Map. Some of the Marauders' secrets would always belong to them and Lily respected that, but she was grateful nonetheless when James chose to share it with her.

She already knew about Remus of course, which had shocked the Marauders when they had eventually gotten to this issue. The looks of surprise on the boys' faces had caused her to burst out laughing, before they joined in, both in relief and admiration, looking at her in a whole new light.

They hadn't told her about being Animagi until later though and for that, Lily couldn't blame them. Finding out about lycanthropy was one thing. It wasn't something Remus could help. But purposefully doing something illegal, even if it was to help a friend, wasn't something one could tell someone else easily.

And so she couldn't say she wasn't surprised when it actually happened.

She and James were cuddling in one of the couches in an empty Gryffindor common room one night when she noticed James had been strangely quiet.

"Hey," Lily reached up and gently caressed his face, "something wrong?"

There was an uncharacteristically serious expression on James' face. His hold around her loosened slightly as he raised one hand and ran it over his hair.

"Lily…there's something I want to talk to you about." He hesitated. Lily sat up and frowned slightly at his nervousness.

"James, what is it? You can tell me."

He sighed and shifted slightly before looking her in the eye once more. "You know about Remus." Lily nodded slowly. "Well, there's more to it than that. It's about Sirius, Peter, and I. You know we always leave during the full moon, but we never told you what we really did. And now that we're rather serious now, I thought it would be best if I told you. I mean, Sirius thought it was a good idea and I agreed with him…"

Lily smiled. He was rambling now. She leaned in and kissed him gently, cutting him off. His arms tightened around her once more as he kissed her back. They were almost ready to graduate Hogwarts and while they hadn't spoken about it yet, Lily knew there wasn't anyone else she wanted to spend her life with. And now, she finally knew exactly what it was that was eating James up inside.

She leaned back and smiled at him. "James. I already know."

He gaped at her and she couldn't help but giggle and leaned in and pecked him once more.

"But, but," he sputtered, "you know? I don't think you do Lily. This is something Sirius, Peter, and I did for Remus, but it's…it's not…it's not something the Ministry would look upon kindly…"

Lily placed one finger on his lips, shushing him and smiled. "James, I know. Seriously I do. I figured it out last year. And I completely understand why you had to do it. It's one of the many reasons why I love you. Why do you think I started to turn the blind eye whenever I found you guys out?"

James looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "You…you know? You really know? About…" he glanced around the room before whispering, "about Prongs?"

Lily snorted at that and soon both were laughing and clutching each other.

"I had an inkling that you wouldn't be that surprised," James said softly in her ear when they had calmed down, "but I never would have thought you already knew."

Lily grinned, "I guess I'm just full of surprises," as she leaned up and placed butterfly kisses on his neck.

James merely laughed and pulled her fully into his lap, "You really are an angel Lily."


End file.
